The 2023 FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) season has thus far produced mostly positive results for M-Sport Ford, The Blue Oval’s rally racing team. Earlier this year, the team scored a fifth place finish at Monte Carlo, claimed victory in Sweden, and stumbled a bit to ninth overall in Mexico before earning second place in Croatia. Now, M-Sport Ford has moved on to looking ahead to Rally de Portugal, where it unfortunately missed the podium last season due to some mechanical mishaps.
Portugal is one of the more famous stops on the FIA WRC circuit, known for its fast and technical stages such as the Fafe jump and the Lousada super special. Drivers will test their skills over 19 stages spanning roughly 186 miles. This race is particularly important for Ott Tänak, who currently sits in fourth place in the championship rankings, though only a mere four points separates him from the top spot. Luckily, he’ll be starting in third, giving him a bit of an edge and a less loosely-packed gravel surface to contend with.
Tänak will be joined by gravel veteran Pierre-Louis Loubet and his Puma Hybrid Rally1, as well as Adrien Fourmaux, Grégoire Munster, and Robert Virves, who will be competing in the WRC2 category behind the wheel of the Fiesta Rally2. The 2023 Rally de Portugal kicks off Thursday, May 11th, and runs through Sunday, May 14th.
“We’ve had a strong start to the season, but we know that the competition is getting tougher as we head into the middle of the year,” said Rich Millener, Team Principal of the M-Sport Ford team. “Ott has shown incredible pace and consistency so far this season, and we’re confident that he’ll be able to continue his form in Portugal. We’re also excited to see what Pierre-Louis can do on the gravel stages, and we have high expectations for our WRC2 drivers as well. The team has been working hard behind the scenes to ensure that we’re delivering the best possible performance on the stages. We’re constantly improving our cars and developing our strategies, and we’re confident that our hard work will pay off in Portugal. We’re excited to see what the rally has in store for us and are eager to put on a show for the fans.”
We’ll have more on M-Sport Ford soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford racing news and ongoing Ford news coverage.
No Comments yet